Country Rankings

Read More About Hong KongHong Kong’s economic freedom score is 89.6. Its overall score has declined by 0.5 point since last year, reflecting a higher level of perceived corruption that outweighs small improvements in business freedom, labor freedom, and fiscal freedom. Hong Kong continues to be the top-rated economy in the Index.

Read More About SingaporeSingapore’s economic freedom score is 89.4, making its economy the 2nd freest in the 2015 Index. Its score is unchanged from last year, with gains in the management of government spending, monetary freedom, and labor freedom offset by a slightly lower score for freedom from corruption. Only 0.2 point behind Hong Kong, Singapore ranks 2nd out of 42 countries in the Asia–Pacific region.

Read More About New ZealandNew Zealand’s economic freedom score is 82.1, making its economy the 3rd freest in the 2015 Index. Its score is up by 0.9 point, with improvements in the management of government spending, monetary freedom, and labor freedom outweighing declines in freedom from corruption, fiscal freedom, and business freedom. New Zealand is ranked 3rd out of 42 countries in the Asia–Pacific region and 3rd in the world.

Read More About AustraliaAustralia’s economic freedom score is 81.4, making its economy the 4th freest in the 2015 Index. Its overall score is 0.6 point lower than last year, with gains in monetary freedom and labor freedom outweighed by declines in investment freedom, freedom from corruption, and the control of government spending. Australia is ranked 4th out of 42 countries in the Asia–Pacific region.

Read More About SwitzerlandSwitzerland’s economic freedom score is 80.5, making its economy the 5th freest in the 2015 Index. Its score has decreased by 1.1 points since last year, with modest improvements in business freedom, fiscal freedom, and monetary freedom overwhelmed by a large decline in labor freedom and smaller declines in freedom from corruption and the management of government spending. Switzerland is ranked 1st out of 43 countries in the Europe region.

Read More About CanadaCanada’s economic freedom score is 79.1, making its economy the 6th freest in the 2015 Index. Its overall score is 1.1 points lower than last year, with modest improvements in monetary freedom and the control of government spending outweighed by declines in labor freedom and freedom from corruption. Canada continues to be the freest economy in the North America region.

Read More About ChileChile’s economic freedom score is 78.5, making its economy the 7th freest in the 2015 Index. Its overall score is 0.2 point lower than last year, with an improvement in monetary freedom outweighed by declines in labor freedom, freedom from corruption, and the control of government spending. Still one of the 10 freest economies in the Index, Chile enjoys the highest degree of economic freedom in the South and Central America/Caribbean region.

Read More About EstoniaEstonia’s economic freedom score is 76.8, making its economy the 8th freest in the 2015 Index. Its overall score is 0.9 point higher than last year, reflecting improvements in six of the 10 economic freedoms, including business freedom, freedom from corruption, and labor freedom. Estonia is ranked 2nd out of 43 countries in the Europe region, and its overall score is well above the regional and world averages.

Read More About IrelandIreland’s economic freedom score is 76.6, making its economy the 9th freest in the 2015 Index. Its score is up by 0.4 point from last year, with a notable combined improvement in the management of government spending and monetary freedom outweighing declines in half of the 10 economic freedoms including property rights, labor freedom, and freedom from corruption. The Irish economy is ranked third out of 43 countries in the Europe region, and its score is far above the world and regional averages.

Read More About MauritiusMauritius’s economic freedom score is 76.4, making its economy the 10th freest in the 2015 Index. Its overall score is essentially unchanged from last year, with a negative score change of 0.1 point reflecting a significant decline in labor freedom that overshadows gains in the control of government spending, business freedom, and monetary freedom. Mauritius is ranked 1st out of 46 countries in the Sub-Saharan African region, and it scores well above the regional and global averages.

Why Does Economic Freedom Matter?

Economic freedom is a crucial component of liberty. It empowers people to work, produce, consume, own, trade, and invest according to their personal choices.

Why Does Economic Freedom Matter? – from The Heritage Foundation's Understanding America series – explores the framework America's Founders established for an economically free nation, and what economic freedom means for the United States and the rest of the world.